ETCC: Valencia: Round two preview

For the second LG Super Racing Weekend of the 2004 season, the teams and
drivers will head south, to the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia,
Spain.
Although the multi-platform series has visited Spain every year since it
started in 2001, this is...

For the second LG Super Racing Weekend of the 2004 season, the teams and
drivers will head south, to the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia,
Spain.

Although the multi-platform series has visited Spain every year since it
started in 2001, this is the first time it will be going to Valencia.
The circuit, 4005 m long, was opened in 1999, and is a modern circuit,
which gives excellent viewing conditions to the spectators.

Honours were even in the FIA European Touring Car Championship at Monza,
with one win apiece for Alfa Romeo and BMW, and young rookie Augusto
Farfus taking the Championship lead after winning his first-ever touring
car race. The second meeting, on new ground, will see Farfus and Jörg
Müller both carry 40 kg penalty weight, while Andy Priaulx will be on 20
kg. This will be the home round for the SEAT cars, which made a good
start to the season, by scoring six points in Italy, and for BMW Team
Italy-Spain, whose driver Antonio Garcia will be aiming for his first
win.

Other races making up the busy timetable include the Formula Renault 2000
Eurocup, with two races on the Saturday, and the European Alfa Challenge,
which races on Saturday and Sunday with a busy field of Alfa 147 cars.

VALENCIA - ACCORDING TO ANTONIO GARCIA

Twenty-three years old, Antonio Garcia is entering his second season of
touring car competition, after a successful single-seater career,
including the Karting World Championship and 2000 Open Telefonica by
Nissan series, and a brief interlude in the FIA GT Championship, where
he won the N-GT class at the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa and took four pole
positions. For 2004, he has stayed with BMW Team Italy-Spain, alongside
Alessandro Zanardi

"I think this a circuit which suits touring cars very well, first of all
because there are a lot of points where it is possible to overtake, which
will provide a good show. The first two corners will see a lot of
fighting and overtaking. Secondly, the characteristics of the
track means there should not be big gaps; I expect two action-packed
races, with the leading cars closely grouped. As for the cars, both Alfa
Romeo and BMW should be equally competitive. The difference in top speed
will not be as important as it was in Monza, while acceleration out of
the corners should prove decisive. And this will be good for us.
It will be interesting to see how the tyres will last over the race
distance - although the asphalt here is not very abrasive - and even more
how the package car-tyres will endure the hot temperatures. As we have
had a very cold winter, nobody had the chance to make a proper test with
the new tyres on a hot asphalt. In Valencia it could be very hot, which
can really make the difference."

Circuit length : 4005 m
Location : 30m east of Valencia

The FIA European Touring Car Championship is facing its first official
visit to the Valencia circuit. However, the series has already visited
Spain 17 times; on sixteen of them it was hosted by the Jarama track,
near Madrid, while in 2003 it raced at Barcelona's Catalunya circuit.

The FIA ETCC arrives in Valencia with an unexpected situation: a
20-year-old 'rookie' is leading the Drivers' Championship. With a
brilliant win and a third place in Monza, Alfa Romeo's Brazilian
youngster Augusto Farfus collected 16 points, two more than BMW's Jörg
Müller, who won the second race.

The situation is still provisional, pending technical scrutineering on
Farfus' car; the results are due to be communicated next week.

However, the interest for the second meeting of the season is going
further than the usual Alfa Romeo-BMW fight. With five points scored in
Monza, SEAT is ready to fight for even higher positions on its home
racetrack. This will boost the hopes of the Spanish fans, who will also
support their local heroes: Jordi Gené - one of SEAT's three men - and
Antonio García, who drives for BMW Team Italy-Spain.

Two other reasons of interest will be: the application of the handicap
weights based on the Monza results (40 kg for both, Farfus and J. Müller,
20 kg for Priaulx), and the first FIA ETCC appearance of Jan Magnussen in
the Peugeot 307.

A few minor changes to the sporting regulations were ratified on March
24th, during the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris; the
full technical and sporting regulations can be found on www.fia.com and www.fiatouringcars.com.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THE LOCAL HEROES

A Spanish driver has only once won the home round
of the European Touring Car Championship. This dates back to the 1972 4
Hours of Jarama, when Alex Soler Roig shared the winning Ford Capri RS
with Jochen Mass and Gérard Larrousse. But this year it could happen
again, as both Antonio García and Jordi Gené have the potential to win in
Valencia. "When we tested there in December, we were quite
competitive," García remembers. "My lap times were as good as
Tarquini's, and three tenths faster than those set by the other BMW
drivers. I was very happy with our set-up, and this makes me confident
that we will have a good car." As for Gené, he is equally confident:
"Valencia is one of those tracks were we expect to be very competitive,
and podium results should be possible. In Valencia you have to attack
from the beginning to the end, and it will be worth taking a few risks;
I'm ready to give 110 per cent, however it is important to keep
concentration, because with this cars it's easy to overdrive and spoil
everything."

FARFUS: MONZA WAS JUST A PRELUDE TO THE SEASON

With a win and a third place on his first
appearance in the Championship, AutoDelta's Augusto Farfus is leading
the Driver's Championship. "I consider the races in Monza as a prelude
to the season. In my opinion the Italian circuit does not give a clear
view of the opposing forces, and Valencia will mark the real start of the
Championship." However, after his stunning debut in the Championship,
does he think the other drivers are probably looking at him with
different eyes ? "I don't think so. It's too early to think about
strategies and who will be the men to beat. At this stage, we all have to
think for ourselves, and do the best we can."

JORG MÜLLER: IT WILL BE TOUGH WITH THE 40-KG BALLAST

Runner up in both the 2002 and 2003 Drivers'
Championships, Jörg Müller is already well placed to fight for the title
again. After his win in Monza's Race 2, he is the best-placed BMW
driver, second only to Farfus. However, due to the handicap weight
system, he will carry the same 40-kg ballast as the young Brazilian.
"And this is going to make a huge difference. This year more than in
2003, because the championship is even tougher, with so many competitive
cars. This is why my goal for Valencia is to score more points, and
possibly finish ahead of Farfus and Priaulx," the German driver said.

SEAT CARS TO FIGHT FOR PODIUM POSITIONS

The new season started in the right way for SEAT,
scoring points in both the Monza races. Approaching to their home event,
the Spanish team seems in a good position to achieve important results.
"I expect a lot from Valencia, which is a circuit that suits our car
much better than Monza," says Frank Diefenbacher. "The Toledo should be
very quick in the infield part. During the test in February, I was able
to keep the same pace as Alfa Romeo and BMW." Should Valencia see
SEAT's first win in the FIA ETCC? "I'm not thinking of winning.
However I believe that, if we are able to improve again, SEAT cars will
be fighting for the podium positions."

PEUGEOT AND MAGNUSSEN FACE ETCC DEBUT

After deciding to skip the first meeting in Monza,
Denmark-based Peugeot Sport Engineering and former F1-ace Jan Magnussen
are finally facing their debut in the FIA ETCC. The Danish driver will
join the series in Valencia, at the wheel of a Peugeot 307 3-door interim
car. "We are very excited. The car was so good when we tested in Nogaro
and Magny-Cours, that we changed our plans. Instead of doing just some
races, we will take part in all the remaining nine events of the season.
And this is the reason why we skipped Monza, as we had to rethink the
programme," Magnussen stated.

RS-LINE TESTED THE FORD FOCUS IN LAUSITZ

In preparation to the Valencia meeting, the
RS-Line Rotpunkt Sport team spent one day testing at the Lausitz
Eurospeedway. The German team is taking their first season in the FIA
European Touring Car Championship very seriously, entering two Ford Focus
ST170 cars. They are working hard to improve, and to solve the technical
problems met by Roland Asch and Sebastian Grunert in Monza. "We were
happy with our lap times at Lausitz, which were five seconds faster than
the pole position set last year by the Deutsche Tourenwagen Challenge,"
team manager Reiner Stiefel revealed.

HONDA: JAS ACCORD NEARLY READY FOR TESTING

In Valencia JAS Motorsport and Alessandro Balzan
should use the Honda Civic Type-R for the last time. From the following
meeting, in Magny-Cours on May 2nd, the new Honda Accord 2.0i is due to
make its racing debut. "We are in a rush to finish building it," JAS
technical director Stefano Fini confirmed. "So far we will stick with
the plan, and we will certainly race the Accord in Magny-Cours. The
question is when and where we will be able to test it beforehand. We have
a couple of options: one in Adria and the other in Dijon-Prenois, on the
way to Magny-Cours." The second Honda team, GR Asia, will continue
racing two Civics, for Simon Harrison and Toni Ruokonen.

INDEPENDENTS TROPHY: D'ASTE CHASES CORONEL

Confirming himself as the favourite in the
Independents Trophy, Carly Motors' Tom Coronel started the season with
two wins in Monza. As the Oregon Team's three Alfa Romeo 156 Gta cars of
Tavano, Rangoni and Bartyan encountered various problems, failing to be a
serious threat, the Dutchman's closest competitor was newcomer Stefano
D'Aste. At the wheel of a BMW 320i run by Proteam Motorsport (also a
beginner in the FIA ETCC), the Italian driver was classified second of
the Independents in both races. He was impressive in Race 2, which he
finished ninth overall, nearly scoring on his first race. "I know Monza
very well, and I always did well there. However, considering that we are
new to the Championship, and that we had not much time for testing before
the start of the season, we were quite pleased with these results,"
declared D'Aste.